Abu Dhabi unveils interactive website for residents and businesses

By Binsal Abdul Kader ,Staff Reporter (Gulf News) Published: December 01, 2008, 00:34
Abu Dhabi: The Department of Municipal Affairs on Sunday launched its advanced website which gives advice on property regulations and the related laws and rules.
Visitors can also submit their suggestions or comments on existing or new regulations.
The information on a latest municipal rule and regulation or where and how to get a municipal service in Abu Dhabi is now just a click away now.
If you would like to know to which municipality you belong to, the "frequently asked questions section" will refer you to the "municipality border map" on the homepage to the municipality of your jurisdiction.
Ahmad Shereef, undersecretary of the department presented the website at a media briefing.
The presentation showcased the newly developed site and its capabilities.

The site contains information on responsibilities and activities of the department, in addition to strategic initiatives, latest policies and regulations introduced in the municipal sector of the Emirate.
The new website was created to enhance communication with the residents and businesses of Abu Dhabi, as well as increase exchange of ideas and coordination between Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region Municipalities, said Shereef.
http://www.abudhabi.ae/

Surf the internet for free while you smell the roses in Abu Dhabi

By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter - Published: November 09, 2008, 23:02 (Gulf News Article)
Abu Dhabi: Residents can enjoy free wireless internet connectivity in two public parks on the corniche within a month, thanks to a new initiative of Abu Dhabi Municipality, a senior official told Gulf News on Sunday.
"We are trying to complete the preparations in co-operation with etisalat to introduce internet connectivity within one month," said Abdul Aziz Al Jeraishi, Director of Public Parks and Recreation Department at Abu Dhabi Municipality.
"Initially, the connectivity will be available in two public parks on the corniche - Musical Park and Official Park." The connectivity will be available round the clock, said the official. "The entry is free to those two parks, so people can enjoy free browsing.
"If successful, we will gradually extend the service to other parks in the capital," said Al Jeraishi.
The Municipality expects more visitors to those parks once web connectivity gets operational. "We will make necessary arrangements like seating and lights for the visitors," said the official.
Residents welcomed the initiative. "This is great, I can hang on park or beach and do something useful", said Diego Galliker, a Swiss resident.
"Now I can do some research or related things as part of my work while relaxing at the park," said Gallikar who is an architect.

Two killed as speeding car falls off Abu Dhabi flyover

By Dr Abdul-Hadi Al Timimi, Abu Dhabi Editor - Published: November 14, 2008, 18:01 (Gulf News Article)
Abu Dhabi: Two people died on Friday afternoon after their car veered off the road and plunged from a fly over down into the junction below.
The driver and passenger, an Egyptian and a French national, died, a senior police officer told Gulf News at the scene of the crash. "Both seem to in their 30s."
The flyover straddles the junction of Sa'ada Street and Airport Road close to the passport offices and Abu Dhabi Police Headquarters.
A large crowd gathered at the scene of the crash. All that was left of the car was a mangled mass of red metal.
Eyewitness
Bassam Eisa, a Syrian, terrified by what he had witnessed, said he was at the end of the zebra crossing on Sa'ada Street beyond the flyover when he heard a loud bang and a red object hurtling down over the bridge. He said that some motorists must have had a lucky miss.
The car was travelling on Airport Road out of Abu Dhabi towards the airport.
"The car must have been travelling at very high speed," an Abu Dhabi Civil Defence officer said. "The fact that it broke through the cement barrier of the flyover shows that the main culprit is speeding even if there was a serious mechanical failure."

Move to Reduce Congestion and Population Density in Abu Dhabi

Staff reporter (Khaleej Times) 26 October 2008
ABU DHABI — The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) has come up with a strategy to reduce congestion and population density in the central area of Abu Dhabi city.
“Abu Dhabi’s population is projected to increase to three million by 2030. This will pose significant challenges in terms of mobility and transportation,” said Falah Al Ahbabi, general manager of the UPC.
The approximately one million people living in Abu Dhabi city right now are concentrated in one area, posing immense challenges for commuting.
“The remainder of the capital is developed with palaces, villas, mosques, schools and other institutional and recreational buildings, while low-density suburbs dot the mainland,” said Falah Al Ahbabi.
By 2030, the UPC reckons, the land use structure here will change dramatically to create a city that will function well with more than three times its current population.
“We are creating the Capital City District, with a population of 3,50,000 to 3,80,000 residents, which will form a second centre in Abu Dhabi, located on the mainland in the area known as Khalifa City,” Falah Al Ahbabi added.
The Capital City District will sit on an axis that is an extension of the Mussafah Bridge alignment, being at the centre of the mainland Emirati communities.
The city’s centre will be expanded towards northeast to encompass Sowah Island (the new financial centre), the redeveloped Mina Zayed Port area, and parts of Reem Island. This will continue to be the financial and commercial heart of Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, the Capital City District — the new location of the UAE Federal Government, embassies and some emirate and municipality government functions — will become the seat of the national government.
New transport infrastructure will be developed to connect the city’s centre with the Capital City District.
In a single-centre city, traffic flow towards the centre in the morning would be too high, congesting incoming routes and leaving outgoing routes half empty. The opposite happens in the evening. In a dual-centre city, traffic movement between the centres would be nearly equal so that street space and public transport are fully utilised in both directions.
“By breaking the mould of the traditional city planning model, the UPC is promoting a new mindset through responsive urbanism concepts,” Falah Al Ahbabi said.
By 2030, Abu Dhabi will have a series of major centres of activity, in addition to the dominant central area of the city and Capital City District. The Abu Dhabi mainland will expand substantially with the redevelopment and expansion of Shahama-Bahia, Baniyas and Wathba, and with the development of new communities such as Al Falah and Shamkha.
silvia@khaleejtimes.com

Abu Dhabi Steps Up Drive to Curb Illegal Sub-letting of Housing

(Adel Arafah - Khaleej Times) 7 October 2008
ABU DHABI — The Abu Dhabi Municipality has stepped up inspections of villas and traditional houses in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia to curb illegal partitioning and sub-letting to families and singles, Dr Juwan Salim Al Dhahiri, Chairman of the Municipal Affairs Department, told Khaleej Times on Monday.
The landlords of such villas and houses, he said, were abusing the current housing crunch for short-term financial gains, posing a risk to the safety and security of people and property.
The intensified inspections against illegal partitioning of homes follows the campaign launched by the municipality early this year against such violations. Notices were served on landlords of 520 villas and houses ordering eviction of multiple families and removal of illegal partitions on their premises within six months.
Of them, 176 cases have been referred to the courts for action. Earlier, the court had handed down one-month jail sentences to three investors and fined each of them Dh50,000 for breaching the rules for letting villas and houses. The court had slapped Dh50,000 fine on several other landlords and ordered removal of the illegal partitions in their houses.
Omar Al Hashemi, Director of Municipal Services Office, told Khaleej Times that the civic body had obtained about 120 municipality court orders of eviction against offenders. Legal procedures are on to enforce the orders. The law governing construction in the emirate stipulates a jail sentence of not more than a year, plus a fine of not more than Dh50,000 and not less than Dh5,000 for tampering with the structure of the buildings and partitioning rooms without approval of the bodies concerned.
Al Hashemi said under the ongoing campaign against sharing of villas, the court grants tenants six months to vacate depending on the nature of the offence and partitions. The court could also order immediate removal of the partitions and vacation of the property by the tenants.
He said the campaign was launched due to the unhygienic living conditions in villas where multiple families are living. In addition, it poses safety threats to the tenants.
“Imagine 11 persons crammed into a small bedroom and sleeping shoulder to shoulder in unhygienic and dangerous environment,’’ he referred to one such case of violation.
Some of these houses, he said, are accommodating up to 50 persons, making these units a fertile ground for diseases.
Asked about the solution to the housing problem in the emirate, he said, ‘’The municipality is striving to solve this problem by building more properties at the Mohammed bin Zayed City and Khalifa City to provide residential units for all segments, mainly the low-income groups.”
Meanwhile, a comprehensive law is being drafted to fight the sharing of accommodation across the country; it is likely to be ready in a few months.
The law is being prepared by a committee comprising representatives of several bodies such as the police and judicial department. The law will stipulate the penalties for landlords, investors and tenants who breach the tenancy contracts and rent apartments out to single men and women.
adel@khaleejtimes.com

Drivers Face Dh500 Fee for Minor Abu Dhabi Accidents

(Staff reporter-Khaleej Times) 7 October 2008
ABU DHABI — Motorists involved in minor accidents in the emirate of Abu Dhabi will, from October 12, be required to pay Dh500 to Saaed, a newly-established organisation engaged in helping road accident victims.
A statement from Abu Dhabi Traffic Department on Monday said, the Dh500 fee will cover only minor accidents. In case of major accident, the matter will be referred to the Traffic Court.
The Saaed is the first-of-its-kind initiative in the Middle East in the field of integrated system for management of traffic accidents.
Major Husain Ahmed Al Harthy, Director of Traffic Engineering and Road Safety Department in Abu Dhabi Police, said the fees would be collected from the person who caused the accident.
He called on the public to cooperate with Saaed personnel.
“The fee of Dh500 is very low when compared with similar services in other places around the world,” he added. The decision has been taken on the directives of Minister of Interior, Lt-Gen. Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in view of the increasing number of accidents in the emirate.
A statement from Saaed called on motorists involved in traffic accidents to move their vehicles from the road so that the other road users are not blocked. Saaed personnel are capable of reconstructing accidents to determine who caused them, even after moving vehicles.
It also mentioned that Saeed patrols were equipped with comprehensive systems for traffic accident management, which calculates cost of repair, rates of workshops and controls vehicle recovery services.
Motorists will be able to acquire a copy of the accident reconstruction documents from insurance companies through the website of Saaed, the statement added.

Butchery Shut Down For Selling Stale Meat

By Anwar Ahmad (Khaleej Times Report) 13 August 2008
ABU DHABI - The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority shut down a 24-hour-open butchery outlet in a shopping centre in the capital on Tuesday after seizing 30kg of meat not suitable for human consumption.
The butchery outlet failed to adhere to the authority's prescribed hygiene and health standards.
The authority's inspectors confirmed that the outlet was found flouting the rules for the third time in six months, an official said.

Iconic Landmark Gets Touch of Colour in Abu Dhabi

By Marten Youssef, Staff Reporter (Gulf News) Published: August 10, 2008, 00:02
Abu Dhabi: For the past decade the iconic painting of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan has been a landmark in Abu Dhabi, located on the corniche at the corner of Emirates Palace.
The painting portrays the side of Shaikh Zayed that earned him respect: humble, traditional, authoritative and loyal. This larger than life 35-metre display towers over the city of Abu Dhabi.
Its painter, Liaqat Ali Khan, was a long-time resident of Abu Dhabi and this was his masterpiece and his personal legacy to a country that has transformed his life.
As Khan turned 60, he bid Abu Dhabi farewell and ventured back to his native Pakistan in April.
Having painted 1,060 portraits of the UAE's prinicipal founder, Khan put his brushes away and said an an emotional goodbye.
But as the sun beat down on the decade-old painting with its fading colours and chipped paint, Abu Dhabi started calling back its artist for a final touch-up of his masterpiece.

Happy
Khan could not resist the offer to come back.
"I was so happy when I got a phone call from Abu Dhabi Municipality and immediately said yes. I didn't even think about it."
Since July 29, Khan has been sitting on a plastic chair overlooking the painting directing two men on a crane. "This is much harder than when I first painted this. In 1997 I painted this in a warehouse and I had 12 workers," he says. For the past week, Khan has been spending 12 hours a day redoing the painting.
"We took all the paint off and then repainted everything," Khan says, while holding a large poster of the original photograph of Shaikh Zayed that inspired the painting. "This will probably be good for at least five more years and then the paint will be affected by the humidity and heat again, but I would love to come back again in five years," he laughs. His reputation preceded him to Pakistan and he has become a much celebrated artist in his hometown.
Asked why he loves this picture so much, Khan answers without a pause. "It reflects who Shaikh Zayed was, his smile was from his heart."

Abu Dhabi Taxi Drivers Risk Visa Cancellation

By Eman Mohammed, Abu Dhabi Deputy Editor (Gulf News)
Published: August 03, 2008, 00:09
Abu Dhabi: Taxi drivers refusing to work in Abu Dhabi until their salary situation is reviewed will have their visas cancelled, said an official. 
Sultan Mohammad Al Shamsi, Director of the Customer Service and Compliance Division at TransAD told Gulf News their problem will be solved within a week but they have to go back to work. 
Those who insist on not working during this time will have their visas cancelled and be blacklisted, TransAD will not deal with them. 
Al Shamsi explained the situation of 68 taxi drivers who visited the Ministry of Labour on Tuesday morning to complain about their work conditions with the newly appointed transportation company Tawasul. "We always tell drivers to report any complaints they have to us because we are working as partners to be successful in the business. We can help them, but they must not stop working," he said.

The minimum salary of taxi drivers is Dh850. Besides, they get medical insurance, a month's leave once a year and accommodation, plus an air ticket allowance, he said. Al Shamsi said: "The drivers came to me saying they have issues with Tawasul, which has set a target of AED200 in a day. They said they cannot ... achieve it. I told them this is a normal target and motivated them".
"Unfortunately the next day they went to the labour office which is fine with us. In the end we are a governmental department too and they will get the same answer from police, the labour office, and TransAD."
TransAD solved a similar situation earlier. "Some drivers wanted their companies to pay traffic fines but they made the mistakes, so they had to pay it," he said. A TransAD representative attended the meeting held at the labour office with the drivers last Wednesday to discuss the matter. Abdullah Qassab, General Manager of Tawasul said the majority of the drivers were still in the training course. "They complained to us individually, not as a group and the situation was dealt with on that basis. We were informed that some went and complained to TransAD. We decided to resolve the matter with their representative," he said.

Expenses
Drivers under training receive when they first come to the country AED 200 as cash advance. It is not claimed for six months so they can meet expenses. They get a salary of AED 660 for the training period. Upon completing their training, they are guaranteed AED 1000 a month as a security blanket. "Whatever money they make over the target is kept as commission, he said. 
Since the summer is slow for taxis, the target is AED 200. During other months the target is AED 250.
"They work 12 hours a day. That's one shift which means effectively that they can achieve AED 450 on average," he said. "After investigations, we found out that those complaining have not been on the road during the hours they should be. They may have been working actually for four to six hours," Qassab said.

Fire breaks out at labour accommodation in Abu Dhabi

Staff Report (Gulf News Article)
Published: August 03, 2008, 16:00
Abu Dhabi: A fire broke out at portacabins at a construction site in Al Falah Street in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. 
Lieutenant Yasir Issa, Head of Public Relations Department in Abu Dhabi Civil Defence, told Gulf News that "the portacabins were used as labour accommodation; no injuries were reported and other losses will be estimated later." 
Police are investigating the cause of the fire.

Citizenship of Abu Dhabi, UAE

Q: I was born in U.A.E/Abu Dhabi, Does that entitle me to a citizenship?

A: See the below given quote from another website: (Not From My Assumptions)

“Dubai’s government is keen to protect the status quo and doesn’t want to compromise its cultural values or standard of living by allowing foreigners to become a permanent part of society. Your only route to becoming a naturalized citizen is by marriage to a national; even this, however, doesn’t guarantee citizenship, particularly for non-Muslims.

In exceptional circumstances only, a Dubai’s ruler might grant citizenship to a foreigner who has provided outstanding service to the state over a number of years. A generous employer might reward a loyal worker who has made a major contribution to the company over many years by providing him with a work and residence permit of indefinite duration. After your retirement, however, the employer would have to be a figure of considerable influence to maintain this gift and satisfy the labour authorities. In this case, you wouldn’t be a citizen, but merely be allowed to remain in the country indefinitely.

Children of foreigners born in Dubai don’t have rights of local citizenship and automatically assume the nationality of the parents. If one of the parents is a national of Dubai, the child will usually be granted local nationality and may later become a national of Dubai and obtain a local passport.”

So hope, this will help you a little

Should I submit my Passport to Employer

Q: Is it compulsory to submit passport with your employer in UAE? I will be going to Abu Dhabi on work permit. My Bank is going to provide me Family visa. Is it compulsory to submit the passport with my employer? Will they take my wife's passport also? Is there any other way if I don't want to submit my passport to them? (Asked by: Purvi D)

A: As per rules, "the act of retaining the employee's passport is not legal and the employer should hand over the passport to the employee". This quoted from an expert advocate from Dubai, UAE.

Also the Passport is the property of the respective issuing Government (not even the property of the holder - the name "holder" itself saying that, the person is just a holder of the passport only.). So as per the law it is absolutely against LAW.

Anyhow, sometimes most of companies will retain the passport of their employees for security reasons here, because in UAE anyone can go out of country even without the permission of employer if he holds the passport. But in some other countries like Saudi Arabia / Qatar even if the employee holds the passport he cannot go out of country without stamping a exit & re-entry pass/visa in his/her passport.

If the company mention in your job contract that they will keep the passport, it will be acceptable. Even if the statement is not in the offer/appointment letter, it will be a non-written rule here to submit your passport with employer for your job there. But, no need to give your wife's passport to them, hope the employer will not ask this to you

Burj Al-Arab is 5 Star Hotel & Not a 7 Star One

Q: Is Burj Al-Arab a 5-star or a 7-star hotel? (Some websites say 5 stars; other websites say 7 stars) Which one is correct?

A: As of now, there is only one 7 Star rated hotels in UAE as per seven stars & stripes ratings and is,

Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, one of world's costliest hotel, Kempinsky hotels international managed one.

In case of Burj Al-Arab, in Dubai, even the hotel's official web site or some other rating company's official websites, it is not mentioned that it's having a rating of 7 star or 5 Star.

Advertisements in non-official sites are like this: "The Burj al-Arab Hotel - The worlds 'ONLY' 7 star hotel" but the fact everyone knows. Do the world only having a single 7 star hotel? It is 100% misleading...
But, the real fact is Burj Al-Arab only a 5 Star hotel.

An addition to my answer:

It is now 100% clear that Burj Al-Arab is only a 5 Star hotel. The information I received officially from Burj Al-Arab Management:  a part of the mail is 

"We have reviewed your email and we would like to inform you that Burj Al Arab is a 5 star deluxe property as per the hotel classification association, however many journalists have proclaimed the hotel as a 7 star because of its uniqueness and service quality. "

Mail from Sales Relations Officer of Burj Al-Arab

Hope this is enough. www.emiratespalace.com; www.burj-al-arab.com; www.jumeirah.com; 

Green tunnel to take shape (Abu Dhabi)

By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter (Courtesy – Gulf News) Published: July 24, 2008, 00:03

Abu Dhabi: Construction of a major tunnel on Al Salam Street in Abu Dhabi will start soon, said Abu Dhabi Municipality. The 3.1km tunnel from Al Mina Road intersection to Al Falah Street intersection will be the longest among the four tunnels in the project, which will facilitate an uninterrupted green drive on Al Salam Street, or the eastern ring road, without any traffic signals. The 13.7km project, costing Dh4.6 billion, started in November 2007 and will be carried out in three phases. It is expected to be completed by 2010. The road will be linked to Shaikh Zayed Bridge, which is under construction and will be completed by the end of 2009.   The longest tunnel will have four lanes of uninterrupted traffic in each direction, resulting in a capacity addition of more than 6,000 vehicles per hour in each direction in the vital area of the city, said Juma'a Al Junaibi, General Manager of Abu Dhabi Municipality.   Safety system "This will more than double the total capacity of the surface road system on Al Salam Street," said Al Junaibi.   The tunnel will have a state-of-the-art tunnel safety and management system to ensure that the operators can quickly react to changing situations.   The system will coordinate ventilation, fire detection and suppression, lighting, public address, environmental management, electrical power supply, emergency broadcasting, radio re-broadcasting, security and surveillance, traffic detection and control, and traveller information, said Al Junaibi.   The tunnel safety and management system will be monitored and controlled by the personnel at the southern and northern portals of the tunnel.   Fibre optic links to the Abu Dhabi Municipality Traffic Control Centre will allow the centre's operators to control tunnel operations in case of emergencies and communications failure at the local tunnel control rooms.   The tunnels will be notable for its environment-friendly aspects, Engineer Abdullah Al Shamsi, Director of roads and infrastructure at Abu Dhabi Municipality, told Gulf News. "The modern ventilation system will minimise vehicular pollution by gas emission."   Al Shamsi said the non-stop drive and landscaping will make it a green project. The upgrade will support development of strategic infrastructure on the east coast of the city such as real estate development, and hotel and tourism projects in new islands and nearby areas, said Al Shamsi.   The official said preparatory works have been going on for the longest tunnel and major phase of construction will start soon. Construction of the second major tunnel, 1.5km in length, is in progress.   The tunnel will connect from Al Reem Island intersection and Sea Palace intersection, and will also support uninterrupted traffic flow. Two more tunnels have been planned at Khalifa Park.   Building new route - Length of tunnel: 3.1km - Tunnel box structure width: 45m --Width of roadway in each direction: Four lanes, shoulders and walkways, 20.6m --Height from top of road to ceiling: About 6m   [The longest tunnel] will more than double the total capacity of the surface road system on Al Salam Street." Juma'a Al Junaibi General Manager of Abu Dhabi Municipality (Courtesy – Gulf News)